Montana Natural History Center
As a VENUE: Host your event…
Rent Our Space for Your Event! Are you looking for a nice space to host a meeting, conference, or workshop? The Montana Natural History Center has several great possibilities. Four distinctive spaces are available:
- Ellen Knight Classroom: 30-person capacity with tables, 50-person capacity with chairs. A SMARTboard is available.
- Naturalist Classroom: 14-person capacity with tables, 20-person capacity with chairs.
- Exhibit Area: Great for larger gatherings or drop-in events. 100-person standing room capacity; 60-person capacity with chairs.
Support the Montana Natural History Center… by simply booking your next special occasion here:
https://www.montananaturalist.org/rent-our-space-for-your-event/
As a SHOP: Discover unique gifts…
The Montana Natural History Center has an online gift shop. Merchandise may be picked up or shipped.
Support the Montana Natural History Center... by simply purchasing your speciality merchandise here:
https://shop.montananaturalist.org/
Be a DONOR: Show that you care…
Membership:
Do you visit our Center regularly? Do you enjoy taking our classes and participating in our Field Days? Do you visit science centers and museums when you travel? Become an annual member and receive discounts, benefits, a subscription to Montana Naturalist magazine, and reciprocal admission to over 300 science centers across the country! Get ready to be inspired and spark your curiosity for the natural world! Membership at specified levels are offered: * Individual * Family * Extended Family, and * Corporate.
Donations:
Encouraging and stimulating curiosity, that’s what the Montana Natural History Center is all about. From our mini Naturalist program to our Visiting Naturalist in the Schools, from our Interactive Distance Learning to our Evening Programs, Master Naturalist courses, and special Naturalist Field Days, we’re introducing people of all ages to the wonders and fragility of our natural world. And we are fostering curiosity and wonder for more than 10,000 children and adults every year, thanks to our generous supporters! We hope you will support our efforts—to invest in giving everyone the opportunity to explore the world around them, and reach a deeper understanding and appreciation of nature. By giving a gift today, you are fostering a love of the natural world which leads to responsible conservation stewardship for generations to come. You can make a one-time donation, or consider becoming a monthly donor—even $5 a month helps us connect people with nature throughout the year. Thank you for making your gift today so we can continue providing meaningful experiences in nature for people of all ages.
- Planned Giving: Planned gifts may offer the best way to maximize a donation while at the same time addressing personal and family concerns. Such gifts are important to the long-term future of the Montana Natural History Center (MNHC) and may be made as an alternative to or in conjunction with an outright gift.
- Stocks and Securities: Gifts of appreciated securities can offer tax benefits while also supporting our work to connect people with nature.
When you transfer ownership of securities to the Montana Natural History Center you will receive a charitable deduction for the full market value as of the date we receive it in our account, and incur no capital gains tax subject to IRS deductible limitations. - Bequests: A gift of cash or property through a will or living trust continues a donor’s tradition of giving.
- Donate Your Vehicle: Do you have a vehicle you’re not using that could use a loving new home? Consider donating your used vehicle to the Montana Natural History Center! Our Teaching Naturalists are hard at work expanding the Visiting Naturalist in the Schools Program to rural schools and areas that are farther away from the Montana Natural History Center. They could use your help by having access to a vehicle to get them to and from those schools!
- Donate a Specimen: The Montana Natural History Center acquires specimens, objects, and archival materials for its collections that fall within our mission as an educational and interpretive natural history institution. Donation acceptance depends on the limits of internal feasibility to maintain responsible collection growth, health and safety concerns, and the material’s relevance to Montana’s natural history.
- Buy an MNHC License Plate: MNHC license plates are available at your local County Treasurer’s Office. Purchasing this lovely plate is yet another way to support your favorite Montana non-profit! This stunning design was created by talented Missoula artist Claire Emery.
Partnership: We are honored to collaborate with many businesses, organizations, and agencies in Missoula, in western Montana, and beyond. We work with these groups to provide new programs, fundraise, and bring natural history education to new places and people. Thank you to our many community partners!
Volunteer: We depend on volunteers to help us run quality programs for the community. We accept volunteers of all ages and abilities, and are adept at working with volunteers’ busy schedules. Whether you’re interested in teaching children about nature, assisting with our auction, filling in at our front desk, greeting visitors at Evening Lectures, or working in our native plant garden, we have an opportunity for you!
Internship: The Montana Natural History Center offers internships through the University of Montana, but these opportunities are also offered independently. MNHC internships offer an excellent opportunity to gain practical experience in natural history education as part of a professional non-profit organization. Participating interns will acquire essential teaching and program development skills through involvement in outdoor and environmental education and community events. Interns will have the flexibility to work in programs of specific interest to them and will be able to emphasize skills they wish to further develop. Credit is available (1 credit for every 3 hours of work per week). Interns should be self-motivated and committed to the principles of environmental education. Independent study credits are also available. Internships are unique opportunities to create, build, and enhance the educational exhibits and programs at MNHC.
Montana Master Naturalist Program: The focus of the Montana Master Naturalist Program is to increase natural history knowledge and promote awareness, understanding, and stewardship of Montana’s natural environment by developing a corps of well-informed citizens dedicated to conservation education and service within their communities. The Montana Master Naturalist Program is designed for adults who want to stoke their curiosity, deepen their knowledge of the natural world, and give back to their communities in new ways. We offer a range of programs to fit the needs of a diverse community, but all the classes share a common goal of providing participants with the skills to interpret Montana’s flora, fauna, and landscape. The core class is the Master Naturalist Certification course, which we offer in spring and summer in slightly different formats. We also partner with organizations across Montana to offer the course in a growing number of communities around the state, including Glacier National Park, Billings, Helena, and the Swan Valley (visit the link below for more details). In addition to our certification courses, we offer focused, intensive field days and field weekends on additional topics.
Support the Montana Natural History Center… by simply contributing here:
https://www.montananaturalist.org/get-involved/